Mystery Men #4 Review

An origin for the Revenant.

The ongoing plot of Mystery Men has all but come to a stop in the last couple of issues, as David Liss has taken some time away to develop the many characters of the series. This time around, we get to see the origin of the Revenant, who, interestingly enough, was one of the first characters introduced. His origin isn't as mystical as one might expect, but Liss does offer up some suggestive ties to the modern Marvel U's Cloak as well as hammer home the point that none of these characters actually hold any powers. Thankfully, the writer also scales back on the Surgeon's dialog, leaving less room for creepy medical jargon inserted into crime fighting. Though this issue focuses mainly on Revenant, Liss does a better job of balancing the ongoing threat facing the team and uniting them while still shedding light on the hero.

There are some missteps, however, as some of Revenant's backstory comes off a bit underwhelming. The racial tension is a nice touch, but Liss doesn't push the boundaries far enough. While his motivations are adequate, they could have been taken further to make his transformation into a costumed vigilante more believable. There's also a hefty bit of exposition from Achilles, recounting the events of the issue previous. It's a necessary evil to some degree, but it could also be hidden more elegantly than it is. Still, the book is full of solid character work that begs to be expanded upon in another story, now that these characters have been introduced.

Patrick Zircher is in great form once again, offering a wide variety of angles and character designs. His linework remains strong and defining, allowing his characters to pop from the backgrounds. His facial work is somewhat lacking, offering up a limited emotional palette and characters that look similar. However, he makes up for it with strong body language and exciting action sequences. Some of his layouts in this issue feel less than ideal, but the storytelling remains strong despite some questionable cosmetic choices.

Here's hoping the series can finish strong and warrant a repeat visit to this pulpy Marvel Universe.